


Patience Fallen at My Feet

by Loudest_Voice



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - what if, Gen, Rich Boy Naruto, everyone survives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 00:26:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15829995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loudest_Voice/pseuds/Loudest_Voice
Summary: If Minato and Kushina hadn't died. . . then Naruto would probably have been a  dick, let's be real.





	Patience Fallen at My Feet

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the far off future of that story I was writing that has Sasuke with a Byakuugan. I was clicking away at this for a while in between shifts. May have a sequel one day.
> 
> Thanks a lot to [luvsanime02](http://archiveofourown.org/users/luvsanime02/pseuds/luvsanime02) for beta-reading as usual. And for the patience. Honestly, she remember what I write better than I do.

Clan brat birthday parties are an ordeal among the Hyuuga. Neji feels for his cousin. His sister, really. It’s all about showing off--Gentle Fist prowess, beauty, intelligence, poise, money, fashion sense, _something_ that might mark your child as remarkable. A hierarchy must be established somehow, now that the Caged Bird Seal is no more. 

Unfortunately, Hinata is no good at spectacles. “I don't think Elder Honoka will be impressed with this painting,” she says to Neji, eyeing her canvass critically.

“Elder Honoka is not impressed with anything,” says Neji.

“She’s impressed enough with you.”

Neji ignores that comment, and instead focuses on Hinata’s painting. It’s of a sunset out by some anonymous beach, which Neji supposes is a bold choice since Hinata has never been outside Konoha. The contrast between the blue sealine and the orange sunset is striking. It demands attention as insistently as Hinata avoids it. Her white/grey birthday kimono might represent the Hyuuga colors, but they wash her features out. The bangs she’s grown out somehow make her eyes seem small, and they are not. She’s a _Hyuuga_. She’ll be invisible standing next to her own painting, which Neji suspects was her intention. (Neji pretends not to care about such superficial, _girly_ things, but he does have an eye for beauty.)

“This is competent enough,” says Neji, gesturing at the canvas.

“Thank you,” says Hinata, dryly. 

“Our cousins will pretend it’s better than it is,” Neji insists. “They wouldn't dream of insulting your father, much less Elder Honoka’s tutelage. All you have to do is stand next to it and play at being a sensitive artiste. Say the subject matter is private and personal, or something like that, whenever someone asks about it.” 

“Ugh,” Hinata sighs. Quite dramatically, as far as Neji is concerned. “You make everything sound so _easy_.”

 _This is easy_ , Neji doesn't say. People never take it the way he means it. “I have to get ready.”

“Oh, Neji-nii-san, can’t you do something impressive during my party?” begs Hinata. “Just some cool thing that’ll make people talk about you for weeks.”

“No,” says Neji, not bothering to hold back an eye roll. When has he ever done anything that made anyone talk about it for weeks? “You’ll be fine. This is nothing.”

Hinata makes a rude gesture that she would never dare to make publicly. Neji waves goodbye.

***

Neji opts for a simple black kimono, sewn by an Aburame with the finest silk she harvested last year. In addition to accentuating the lines of his body, it’s waterproof, partially flame resistant, and so fine that it would block all but the most skilled senbon attacks. Neji saved up for a whole year to afford it, not that he would ever admit it. Well, it’s obvious that’s what he did, but no one would dare bring it up. 

“Holy shit, how much did that outfit cost?” 

No one except for Naruto, that is. 

“Could you ask that a little louder?” says Neji. “I'm afraid people at the other side of the house didn't hear you.”

This is usually the point where Naruto grins and says something stupid, but he just stares at Neji with a vaguely vapid look on his face. 

“What?” demands Neji.

“Oh, nothing!” Naruto grins, but Neji can't shake the suspicion that it’s one of the fake ones. “Just not used to seeing your forehead anymore, is all. Nice ponytail. And. . . I gotta tell you something.” 

There is a moment of tense silence.

“Tell me what?”

Naruto opens his mouth, then he shrugs. “I’ll just tell you after the party. No need to ruin your good mood.”

“I wouldn't call my mood good,” says Neji, as Naruto drags him farther into the crowd. Just because crowds don't make him as nervous as they do Hinata doesn't mean he likes them. 

Nevertheless, the evening grows easier after that. Naruto draws attention like a flame, but none of it is directed at Neji. He’s happy enough to stand by Naruto’s side looking stoic while people float around him; some to gain favor with Hokage-sama’s son, and others to poke at him and see if he’s as foolish as rumors claim. Naruto takes it all in stride, playing up the clown most days. It’s hard to tell if it’s because he genuinely likes making people laugh, or because he’s acting out.

Neji supposes it’s a little of both, but tonight, he seems mostly happy to joke. He shares a private grin with Neji every time he says something particularly stupid and some random guest of Hiashi-sama takes it at face value. When he runs into classmates from his new genin class (though it’s not so much his “new” class anymore), he relaxes and even tries to draw Neji into the conversation. 

It’s a bit of a relief. Naruto had failed his first Academy exam in the middle of a tantrum. Neji still suspects that Naruto expected his father to pull some strings and personally deliver a headband to him after some kind of symbolic exam that would prove once and for all that Hokage-sama. . . Well, who knows what Naruto had been thinking? But Hokage-sama had not stepped in, and Naruto had repeated his last year in the Academy. Naruto had of course acted like the whole thing was a joke, but Neji knows better.

At first, he’d been convinced that the new kids were sucking up to him because of his father, and had angsted bitterly in Neji’s general direction. 

_They’re just trying to get into my father’s inner circle,_ he’d whined. _They should just go and suck up to Itachi._

 _You don't know that,_ Neji had insisted.

_Why else would they want to be friends with me?_

_I don't know. Why do I want to be friends with you?_ Neji had meant the question as a rhetorical one, but Naruto had looked as if Neji had punched him.

He’d dropped the subject afterwards, resolving to think about the issue more. Really, it’d been a coward’s gambit, but thankfully, it all seemed to have worked out for the best. Naruto had made friends with his classmates. At least the clan brats. That’s not what Neji had expected would happen, since Naruto has nothing but contempt for the shinobi upper classes, but he isn't about to complain about it. Naruto may not _need_ friends, but he sure likes having them.

“Come on, Shika,” he laughs, pulling at the Nara heir. “I swear you and Neji would get along great. He’s got a stick up his ass, sure, but Neji’s brilliant!”

“I'm standing right next to you,” says Neji, absently. He hasn't checked on Hinata in a while, and activating his Byakuugan in the middle of a party would be. . . uncouth. 

“Stop being an asshole,” Nara tells Naruto, without much heat.

“I gotta go,” mumbles Neji. He really does need to check on Hinata. It’s not like she would create the kind of loud scandal Naruto is prone to. No, she would just shrink into herself while a rumor slowly spreads, and Neji wouldn't hear about it until days afterwards.

She’s just with her classmates Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura, thank the Leaf spirits. Neji doesn't have to approach them, and even if he did, he’s not sure he would do it. Even for Hinata. Yamanaka and Haruno are a whirlwind of barbs and passive-aggressive comments that Neji is only briefly willing to put up with when he visits Naruto and finds him deflecting his usual harem of suitors. Neji allows himself a second to admire the pattern of red leaves on Haruno’s kimono and then slips into the crowd and heads in the opposite direction. Finding Naruto shouldn't take too long.

Elder Honoka is by the largest window in the home, so Neji can hardly go there to stare at the moon, where he could ignore people while technically still being present. He activates his Byakuugan just to confirm his theory and, yes, there is Elder Honoka, talking with none other than Hokage-sama himself. 

The crowd is getting on his nerves, and Naruto loves and attracts crowds. He heads away from the main rooms of Hiashi-sama’s house, searching for a little bit of quiet. Guy-sensei promised an exciting mission for tomorrow, which means something dangerous or something ridiculously tedious. Neji’s not nervous, exactly. He’s been a genin for a year, and has survived a few close calls. Or at least they had _felt_ like close calls, but Guy-sensei had been there every step of the way. 

A pair of footsteps interrupts his muddy thoughts, pulling him into sharp awareness. His heart beats stupidly fast, and it’s just his own house. Just a brief surprise. Damn. Maybe he is just as skittish as Hinata. If only she could see him now. That thought almost makes him spiral again. 

He doesn't want _anyone_ to see him now, so he slips behind a base and treats the whole thing like a training exercise. It shouldn't be too hard. This is probably just two people out for some semi-clandestine tryst at the Hyuuga mansion.

His cousins sound a little tipsy, and besides, they’re not even ninja. Just a pair looking for a semi-private spot. It’s easy enough for Neji to stay still behind the vase and wait for them to move on. He needs a break from the party, anyway. Naruto will become unbearable once he realizes Hokage-sama is in attendance.

“That girl’s not gonna be the next clan head,” says a man. Neji doesn't recognize the voice; must be one of the minor clansmen. Someone who probably had been a Branch member.

“She’s nice enough,” says his female companion. Neither sounds overwhelmed by passion, or whatever phrase might be appropriate for such things.

“Nice people don't make it far in life,” dismisses the man.

“True enough. Nice women, especially,” laments the woman.

“It’ll be Hizashi’s kid.”

Neji stops breathing.

“I hear he’s as good as his dad was.”

“Come on,” snorts the woman. “Hizashi had the best Byakuugan since Momoshiki. Someone like that is born every century or so. Not even his literal twin could match him.”

That’s. . . that can't be true. Hizashi is only a man, albeit one of some notable skills. He is the best healer in Konoha, but that’s just because Senju Tsunade has defected.

“What about the other son?” asks the man.

“What about him?”

“You work at the Academy,” says the man. “Is he any good?”

Neji abandons his hiding spot and walks in the hallway’s opposite direction. He doesn't care if his cousins hear him, doesn't even bother to check if they do, and keeps walking until he’s out of the house. By some merciful miracle, he doesn't run into anyone. The moon is shining bright in the sky, glistening off the pond between Uncle Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku’s homes. Unbidden, one of Neji’s sharpest memories assaults him--one he wishes desperately he could forget.

The one and only time he met Uchiha Sasuke, their father had almost killed their grandmother. 

He’d seen Sasuke often enough afterwards, when training his Byakuugan. Nine times out of ten, Sasuke is the only person in the Uchiha compound who has a Byakuugan. He’s hard to miss.

“Hey, what’s up?”

It takes all of Neji’s discipline not to whirl around. It’s just Naruto, after all. “What are you doing out here?” If Neji can distract him, Naruto may not ask why _Neji’s_ there.

“My dad’s making an appearance,” shrugs Naruto.

That’s good. That’s great. Naruto's good sense, what little there is of it, evaporates whenever Hokage-sama is around. 

“He’s probably here because Elder Honoka and Elder Rakshasha are under one roof for once,” says Neji.

“Well, he’s not here because he gives a shit about Hinata, that’s for sure,” mumbles Naruto. Then his voice grows firmer. “Did I just startle you before? I didn’t think that was possible.”

Of all the times for Naruto to _not _derail himself into a rant about Hokage-sama. . . Neji sighs, then walks closer to him. “You said you had something to tell me?”__

__“Eh. . .” Naruto glances at his feet and wiggles his toes. “After the party.”_ _

__“The party’s over for me,” says Neji._ _

__Naruto snorts. Then sighs. “I'm graduating dead last.”_ _

__“I don’t care,” says Neji. And he really doesn’t, since it’s not like it’ll make a difference for Naruto in the long run, at least not in practical terms. He is the Yondaime’s son, after all. Whatever ambitions he might develop, he’ll have all the support in the world. “I just don't get why you keep doing this.”_ _

__“Doing what?” Naruto manages to inject just the right amount of contempt into his voice, but he won't look Neji in the eye. “Grades don't mean anything to me.”_ _

__“If that was true, then you wouldn't go out of your way to fail,” says Neji. “And you _did_ go out of your way to graduate last place in a class where you have a year of training and puberty on your classmates.”_ _

__“Hah, hah,” says Naruto. “You got me. I can fail again, y’know? If you want me to.”_ _

__“Naruto.” He holds back a sigh. Sometimes, his best friend can get really tedious. “Why would I want you to fail? If anything, I want you to graduate so I don't have to keep hanging out with some Academy brat.”_ _

__“Uchiha Sasuke is graduating at the top of the class,” says Naruto, staring straight at him._ _

__For a moment, Neji doesn't register why Naruto’s telling him that. Why would he care? He never thinks about Sasuke; doesn't even have to try to avoid it, unlike the way he has to suppress memories of. . . But._ _

__But Naruto is graduating last place, which guarantees that he will be Sasuke’s teammate._ _

__“You realized this months ago,” says Neji._ _

__“He had some stiff competition,” protests Naruto._ _

__“Not from you,” says Neji. “You knew he’d probably end up in the default first-last team, and you didn't care.”_ _

__“No, it wasn't like that,” pleads Naruto, reaching for Neji’s shoulder._ _

__Neji steps back. It probably won't matter as much as he’s imagining. Not all teams get close. He doesn't consider himself particularly close with his team._ _

__But that’s not how Naruto works. If he’s gonna be working with Uchiha Sasuke on a near-daily basis--maybe more, depending on how many away missions their team takes--then he will be friends with Uchiha Sasuke. By all accounts, Sasuke is a pleasant enough person._ _

__“Listen, I’ll just bomb the test again,” says Naruto. “Don't look like that.”_ _

__“I don't look like anything,” Neji practically spits out, as he tries walking around Naruto. What does he care? It’s not like he and Naruto are glued at the hip._ _

__“I told you!” Naruto flails, then grabs Neji’s arm. “I’ll fuck up the final exam. Iruka-sensei’s nice; I don't mind spending another year with him.”_ _

__“Don't!” Neji wrenches his arm away from Naruto. Then he takes a deep breath. “Don't sabotage yourself again and pretend it’s for my sake. You wouldn't have let it get this far if you cared that much about me.”_ _

__“I _said_ \--”_ _

__Neji doesn't turn back to look at him. “Naruto, if you don't graduate the Academy, I will never speak to you again.”_ _

__***  
Maybe he was a bit dramatic the previous evening. Neji doesn't announce it to the winds, but he does have what some might call a slightly volatile temper. He meditates about it. Peruses philosophy about the failing of the human spirit. Appreciates art. Takes leisurely walks. Et cetera. It’s important for a shinobi to figure out his weaknesses, lest an enemy surprises him with them. And for a politician or clan head too, though it seems Neji will not be _that_ , since he’s not as impressive as his. . . _ _

__“I said not today, Lee,” says Neji._ _

__“I sense your emotional distress,” says Lee, doubtlessly striking some stupid pose that Neji refuses to look at. “As your epic rival, it’s my duty to knock you out of this funk with youthful competition.”_ _

__Neji hears a deep sigh coming from Tenten’s direction an instant before Lee comes at him. He sighs to himself, spots Lee’s heel coming straight at his temple, and automatically goes through a dozen ways to counter the attack. But that’s not the way to deflate Lee. Neji stands still as a stone, gaze fixed on the blades of grass in front of him. Lee’s leg halts a breadth away from Neji’s head._ _

__“Come _on_ ,” complains Lee. “It’s no fun if you don't fight back.”_ _

__Neji sighs. Dramatically._ _

__“Give it a rest, Lee,” says Tenten._ _

__Lee does, in a way. He moves on to bugging Tenten for training, and she lacks Neji’s stony, patient passive-aggressiveness. In a matter of minutes, they are sparring. It’s good for them, no matter how annoyed Tenten looks. They are closer to each other in terms of skill than they are to Neji, so it makes more sense for them to spar. Neji could help them, push them beyond their limits. It might distract him from his own angst. And Tenten is getting really good with ranged weapons, which _do _offer a unique training opportunity for Neji. It’s not like he can swat away blades and shuriken as easily as he can shrug off most chakra-based attacks. And if they both team up against him, then it’s a little more challenging.___ _

____Neji sighs. He doesn't want to spar, or do much of anything. Hopefully, Guy-sensei is caught up in some serious mission and they’ll be dismissed early so. . . What? Neji can go sulk at home? Even hoping for such stupidity is approaching Naruto levels of clueless selfishness. Guy-sensei might act the fool, but only the most vicious of emergencies would keep him from his team._ _ _ _

____Such an emergency does not occur. Guy-sensei arrives at 8:00 AM sharp, brimming with excitement and cheer that has to be fake. Jounin are an eccentric bunch, Guy-sensei more so than most. He’s also quite perceptive, and notices Neji’s terrible mood about fifteen minutes into training._ _ _ _

____“Neji, something’s troubling you,” Guy-sensei says._ _ _ _

____“Everything’s fine,” says Neji, mechanically. If only Guy-sensei were as easy to shake off as Lee._ _ _ _

____“Would you like to speak privately?” asks Guy-sensei._ _ _ _

____“No.” He might as well announce to the world that something is really wrong, which it isn't._ _ _ _

____“Neji,” starts Guy-sensei._ _ _ _

____“Everything is _fine_ ,” repeats Neji. It’s perhaps a disrespectful tone to take with his sensei, but the man acts like a moron, and he’s making Lee and Tenten _stare_. It’s gonna take _days_ to get them to stop hovering around, and Lee hovers enough as it is. _ _ _ _

____“If it is fine, then you will have no trouble sparring.”_ _ _ _

____“I don't--”_ _ _ _

____“--with me.”_ _ _ _

____Well. That should at least distract him from his non-drama._ _ _ _

____Guy-sensei might act the fool, but he is _strong_. Neji knows he has no hope of beating him, but he can strive to be interesting, at least. He’s not even the fastest ninja Neji has sparred with. That honor goes to Shisui. Their moves are different, of course, but dodging is dodging. In less than an hour, Neji is sweating, his muscles throbbing and his breath coming out in puffs. Guy-sensei is looking down at him with an air of satisfaction, and Lee and Tenten’s cheers seem to be coming from far away. _ _ _ _

____“Do you feel better?” asks Guy-sensei._ _ _ _

____He feels annoyed about something else, at least. Neji frowns, goes for a strike that Guy-sensei predictably blocks, and then they’re at it again._ _ _ _

____***_ _ _ _

____They have a short mission that day, but Neji still stumbles home bruised and aching from his spar with Guy-sensei. He tries to focus on the fight, replay his mistakes over and over, and think about how he could have done better. The answer is always “get faster” or “get stronger”, which happens only with time and patience. In the back of his mind, Naruto’s excuses for every stupid goddamned stunt he’s ever pulled are replayed, and the more Neji thinks about them, the angrier he gets._ _ _ _

_____I didn't know the old hag would take it seriously. I figured Dad’s ANBU goons would stop me. I didn't realize it would work. I’m not that fast._ _ _ _ _

____Blah. Blah. Blah. Naruto is always pretending he doesn't know his own strengths, that he’s too stupid to understand that his father will not bodily stop him from his idiotic performances. He doesn't grasp that he has the whole world laid out before him like a banquet._ _ _ _

____Neji means to disappear to his room the instant after he pays his respects to Elder Honoka. He’d sweat today, and dust has caked into his pores. His hairline is sticky and gross. Pushing adequate amounts of protein past his throat come dinnertime will be an ordeal he plans to overcome in privacy.  
Of course, he runs into Hinata on the way to his room. He hopes that she’ll notice the air of misery around him and leave him be, though judging by her hunched shoulders and dejected demeanor, her day has not been better than his. _ _ _ _

____“Today was your final exam,” Neji says by way of greeting._ _ _ _

____Damn. How could he have forgotten that? Shouldn’t Hiashi-sama or Elder Honoka or _someone_ made an event out of it? Sure, Hinata’s birthday had just past, and they’d had a big party, but still._ _ _ _

____“How was it?” asks Neji._ _ _ _

____“It was easy.”_ _ _ _

____“Then why do you look so worried?” And why is she waiting for him? If this was just about everyone forgetting her accomplishment, then Hinata would retreat to her room until someone (Neji) noticed her absence._ _ _ _

____“It’s just. . . Naruto-kun didn't show up for his exam,” says Hinata._ _ _ _

____Neji opens his mouth. Then closes it. He is not surprised._ _ _ _

____“And I know probably nothing bad has happened,” says Hinata. “The whole village would be up in arms if Hokage-sama’s son was missing.”_ _ _ _

____Not necessarily, in the event that . . . It doesn't matter. Neji knows nothing that needs to be kept under wraps has happened. Naruto is just throwing another tantrum._ _ _ _

____“Anyway,” continues Hinata, “I was just hoping you knew what happened.”_ _ _ _

____“Don't worry about it,” says Neji, shrugging. “You should be thinking about yourself, wondering who your teammates will be.”_ _ _ _

____“Well.” Hinata offers him a pained smile. Then she starts tapping the tips of her index fingers together. “I was hoping it would be Naruto-kun.”_ _ _ _

____“You deserve better than him, Hinata.” Neji would add that Naruto only vaguely knows that she’s alive, but he’s not that cruel, even in his worst of moods._ _ _ _

____“Neji-niisan, please.”_ _ _ _

____Neji walks around her, hating himself for the ultimatum he’d given Naruto. It’d be easy enough to not talk to the douchebag, except Neji’s sure that Naruto would just keep annoying him until they ended up in a fight, which Naruto would count as a victory. He preferred to be hated than ignored._ _ _ _

____“I’m sure he must have a reason,” says Hinata, following him. “He might be in trouble, or--”_ _ _ _

____“--There isn't a reason!” Neji yells. Then he presses his hands to his face and keeps walking._ _ _ _

____Hinata follows him, but says nothing. When they reach the door to Neji’s room, Neji is composed enough that he can look at her impassively._ _ _ _

____“Sometimes, there isn't a reason,” he repeats, refusing to be softened by Hinata’s pleading gaze. “Sometimes, people just don't care about you.”_ _ _ _

____****  
Neji refuses to alter his routine just because Naruto is pulling another stunt, so he starts his meditation routine. Then he will sleep, and if he has any nightmares, he will not remember them. Tomorrow, he will go to training and bear it when ANBU comes to interrogate him about Naruto’s whereabouts. It will not bother him at all._ _ _ _

____It doesn't get a chance to bother him because Naruto sneaks into his room that very night. That, or the sentries assume that Neji wants him around. Either way, fifteen minutes after Neji starts meditating - just when he’s about to sink into a comfortable state - a tiny rock hits his window and wrenches him right back to reality._ _ _ _

____Neji allows himself a single sigh before activating his Byakuugan._ _ _ _

____Of course, it’s Naruto. The bastard is gesturing at Neji to come out, like he just expects Neji to jump at the command. Like Neji didn't tell him that their friendship was over if he threw the Academy exam. For someone who claims to hate the deference afforded to him just because of who his parents are, Naruto sure expects the world to cater to his whims._ _ _ _

____When it’s obvious that Neji doesn't intend to respond, Naruto rolls his eyes and strides forwards. He disables the security seals on Neji’s window (and really, where exactly are the sentries?) and sneaks into his room._ _ _ _

____“I know you’re here,” says Naruto. “Get up.”_ _ _ _

____“I told you I was never going to speak to you again.”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah, and now you’re speaking to me to remind me,” says Naruto, “so you’re already talking to me again. You’re not going to _believe_ what moron I found, and what he knows.”_ _ _ _

____Neji should get up and kill him. The bastard broke into his room. It would technically be self-defense._ _ _ _

____“Get up!” Naruto actually has the nerve to bend down and grab Neji’s wrist. Neji goes lax, becomes dead weight._ _ _ _

____But Naruto is strong, so he’s dragged to a sitting position and has to tense up or flop down like a sack of potatoes._ _ _ _

____“I was _going_ to graduate the stupid Academy, okay?” says Naruto. “But a whole bunch of shit happened in the morning, and it was all Itachi’s fault, I swear. But you know how it is. My dad took his side, like always.”_ _ _ _

____“Naruto, I don't care.”_ _ _ _

____Perhaps it’s the finality in his voice that makes Naruto pause._ _ _ _

____“I don't care,” repeats Neji. “You let me down, like you let everyone down. I'm not even surprised by it.”_ _ _ _

____“I. . .” Naruto swallows._ _ _ _

____Neji stands up and walks to his window. “You’re right that I’m probably going to keep talking to you, but not tonight.” He slides the window open and gestures at it. “Tonight, I don't feel like dealing with it. Get out, or I will.”_ _ _ _

____For a few moments, Naruto stares at him, so frozen he doesn't breathe. Neji’s heart races and his nostrils flare. Is the bastard really going to goad him into a fight? In Neji’s room, with his ANBU guard probably not far behind? Where his clan will see him lose control? Can't Naruto, for once in his perfect goddamn life, think of someone besides himself?_ _ _ _

____“ _Leave_.”_ _ _ _

____Naruto reared back._ _ _ _

____This would usually be the point where Neji softened and endured some dumb joke, or at least let Naruto prattle on in the background while his temper cooled. But not tonight._ _ _ _

____Tonight, Neji narrowed his eyes until Naruto left._ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> [I'm at tumblr now.](https://loudest-voice.tumblr.com/)


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